Breastmilk pumps are well known and are generally comprised of a hood or shield that fits over a portion or the entire breast, a vacuum pump connected to the hood for generating an intermittent pressure variation within the hood, and a receptacle or container for the expressed milk. The receptacle in such an arrangement is often a rigid plastic feeding bottle well known to those in the art. It is also known to use a plastic bag as the receptacle, sometimes in combination with a rigid outer shell supporting the bag. There are manually driven vacuum pumps (e.g., handheld piston pumps) which most commonly connect at or closely adjacent to the hood, as well as vacuum pumps that are driven by an electric motor and interconnect to the hood via tubing. The vacuum pumps of these devices intermittently generate a pressure, most typically a vacuum (or a negative pressure) within the hood, with the hood encompassing the nipple and a substantial amount of the breast. The intermittent suction action of the pump serves to pull on and/or compress the breast, drawing it within the narrowing funnel of the hood, to thereby express milk in an action reminiscent of suckling. The milk so extracted typically flows from the hood into a container, e.g., a bottle or a bag, for storage and later use. A breastpump of the foregoing type is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,857,051.
As noted, plastic bags have been proposed and adapted for use with a breastpump to function in the above-described manner. The method of using and storing these types of bags are well-documented as are the advantages. See for instance, U.S. patent Publication No. 2002/0156419. Where bags are used independently of a bottle, this eliminates the need to then transfer milk from a container (bottle) to a plastic bag for storage. The presence of the bag makes unnecessary the step of cleaning a container after use. Attaching the bag to the pump in a simple and straightforward manner for the mother is something worthy of achieving, however.